NBC ticked off many tennis fans when it announced that it ended its relationship with Hall of Fame broadcaster Bud Collins, the unique commentator who was a staple of the network's Wimbledon broadcasts for 35 years.

Fortunately, it appears ESPN knows a good thing when it sees it.

The sports cable network said it has signed Collins to do live commentary for ESPN2 at Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open in 2008. He'll also file reports for SportsCenter, ESPNNews and ESPN Radio beginning with this year's U.S. Open and at events throughout the year.

"Bud Collins is tennis, a truly unique sports television personality, and ESPN is proud to add his insight, wit and wisdom to our coverage," said Norby Williamson, an executive vice president with ESPN. "For more than 40 years, Bud has had a courtside seat at every meaningful event in the sport. He knows everyone, and everyone knows him. When the opportunity presented itself to add Bud to our tennis team, it was an easy decision to quickly reach out to him -- his perspective, great storytelling and inimitable style will help further distinguish our Grand Slam coverage on ESPN2 and on SportsCenter."

Collins, 78, made a name for himself with his hilarious wardrobe -- I recall him once wearing pants featuring characters from Sesame Street -- and his colorful delivery, which was often peppered with creative nicknames for players. Roger Federer is "Lord of the Swings." The Williams sisters are "Sisters Sledgehammer." Jimmy Connors was the "Brash Basher of Belleville."

I criticize ESPN a lot in this space, but the network deserves a lot of credit for making this hire. Bud Collins has been as much of a contributer to the game of tennis as most players, and it's nice that we'll continue to see him on television.